PHILADELPHIA — When Pradip Banerjee was appointed the new president and chief executive officer of the Science Center in October 2004, the center was essentially just a large piece of property on which many companies were renting space. In the last year, Banerjee has made it so much more than that.

ATLANTA — ABC News veteran Sam Donaldson and famed astronaut Jerry Linenger will provide keynote addresses at the annual Asian American Hotel Owners Association Convention and Trade Show, which will be held from March 22 to 24 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

RICHMOND, Va. — For Aneesh Chopra, the significance of being appointed the secretary of technology for the state of Virginia lies not only in the fact that he is just 33 and that the position itself is only 7-years-old.

ISELIN, New Jersey — The South Asian community in the United States is finally getting a bank that its founders believe the community can truly call its own. The Indus American Bank — whose motto is "Our Community Bank" — is having its grand opening on January 15 in Iselin, which is considered the center of the large Indian community in New Jersey, said Kevin Lenihan, the bank's chief executive officer and president.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. India Business Council recently hired high-profile law firm Patton Boggs to lobby support for the United States to share civilian nuclear technology with India on Capitol Hill, where opposition against these nuclear plans has begun to rise.

SAN FRANCISCO — Vonics Digital's chief executive officer, Babar Hamirani, hopes that his Internet phone company will keep people living in the United States close to friends and family in South Asia — for less money than a calling card or a mobile phone.